Urban restructuring takes place in numerous cities in Western European countries, often in the form of the demolition of relatively cheap dwellings and replacement by new, more expensive dwellings. This phenomenon has been studied extensively. Especially the effects of urban restructuring on the restructured areas themselves have been examined. Much less is known about the residents that had to relocate because of urban restructuring measures like demolition and intensive renovation. This paper therefore focuses on the question whether and why residents improve their housing situation. Using data from four Dutch cities we first make clear how the old and new housing situation differ by focusing both on objective and evaluated changes. Then, explanations are offered for the extent to which residents do or do not experience changes, with respect to dwelling as well as neighbourhood aspects. We found that (a) displaced residents both experience objective and evaluated improvements of their housing situation; (b) that in contrast to objective improvements, evaluated improvements are hardly related to individual and household characteristics; (c) evaluated improvements can be attributed to improved characteristics of the dwelling and neighbourhood; and (d) that increased satisfaction with the dwelling and neighbourhood are strongly related.

The existence of deprived urban areas triggers many governments to change the physical and social structure of these areas. Sometimes policies are meant to change the area itself, in other cases the policies are meant to improve the situation of the residents. Urban restructuring policies change the deprived urban areas, usually because low-rent dwellings are replaced by more upmarket alternatives. But the policies also affect the inhabitants: some have to move away and find a new place somewhere else in the city or the region. It is often expected that the movement will lead to a better situation for the displaced persons and households. However, there are also severe doubts about these positive effects. Who really profits? Is there a risk that the displaced re-cluster in certain urban areas? What do they miss when they are forced to move to an area far from where they used to live? So while urban policy makers often stress the positive effects attached to urban restructuring, research has indicated that negative issues will not be absent. In this paper I will give an overview of the possible positive and negative effects of relocations as a consequence of urban restructuring. I will focus on the households that have to move away from the restructured area. The main conclusion will be that there are definitely positive effects of urban restructuring policies for forced movers, but negative side-effects should not be under-estimated. I will base my argument on existing research in the field of urban restructuring and neighbourhood effects, as well as on recent fieldwork data from the Netherlands.